Raising taxes to bolster Collingwood’s affordable housing reserve fund is just one of 42 suggestions being made by a consultant hired by the town charged with recommending ways Collingwood can address the affordable housing crisis.
The suggestion was discussed during an affordable housing open house led by consultant N. Barry Lyons Consulting Ltd. that took place on Aug. 15 at the Collingwood Public Library on Tuesday night and was attended by about 120 residents either in-person or via Zoom.
According to the consultant, raising taxes by $100 per year per household – or $8 per month – could net the town an additional $1 million per year to add to the reserve.
“I don’t think there’s anybody who hates paying their property taxes more than me,” said Marg Scheben-Edey, a member of the town’s affordable housing task force. “I get frustrated that the higher levels of government – where I believe a lot of this responsibility lies – are not doing that.”
“Does that mean we don’t do anything locally, because they’re not?”
Scheben-Edey noted some of the impacts of a lack of housing affordability already being seen locally, such as hospital wait-times extended due to staffing shortages and the Collingwood OPP having difficulty keeping new officers in the area due to affordability.
“What is the cost of inaction? It far exceeds me having to pay an extra $8 a month in my taxes,” she said. “This is our health and safety, and our future. If we don’t do these things, we are going to lose our community.”
A representative from N. Barry Lyons Consulting Ltd., associate Josh MacLeod, noted money is sorely needed to address housing affordability, and it needed to come from somewhere.
“Collingwood is really in need of a paradigm shift in terms of growth and intensification. We’ve heard a lot about opposition to new housing regardless of the form,” he said. “An adequate program budget is critical here.”
The open house was intended to present the recently released draft strategic options report, that will help inform the affordable housing master plan for the town, and offers concrete suggestions on how the town can improve housing affordability.
According to a housing needs assessment completed by the town in June 2023, there are next to no options in the Collingwood housing market for moderate-income households in both ownership and rental tenures.
The town’s affordable housing master plan will focus on the housing needs of moderate-income households, which is defined in Collingwood as between $36,000 and $51,000 for renters and $70,000 and $98,000 for homeowners.
To accommodate the forecasted population growth in Collingwood to 2051, more than 10,000 new housing units will be required.
“It’s pretty grim,” said MacLeod. “When a household doesn’t have affordable housing, there are significant social impacts.”
MacLeod pointed to evidence of negative impacts of a lack of affordable housing on physical and mental health.
“It typically leads to high levels of stress which can lead to things like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure,” he said. “There’s also plenty of evidence that children who grow up in homes that are not affordable end up with more behavioural issues.”
MacLeod also pointed to economic development impacts.
“Your town is already experiencing this... particularly on the side of being able to attract and retain employees for a lot of businesses,” he said.
He pointed to the top 10 most reported vocations in Collingwood, noting the average salaries of all 10 aren’t high enough to be able to afford to live in Collingwood.
“This isn’t just our lowest-income employees. This is nurses. This is teachers. These are people who are really integral that are having trouble finding housing in Collingwood,” he said.
The draft strategic options report suggests four key actions the town should be taking to address housing affordability locally:
- Policy and process reform through land-use planning
- Offering development incentives to reduce the cost for providers who are willing to build the types of housing that Collingwood needs
- Taking a leadership role by declaring new residential development a priority, identifying public land for housing and helping to connect parties with funding programs
- Advocating to other levels of government (federal and provincial) for help in solving affordability issues
Under those four headings, there are 42 specific recommendations.
In the policy and process reform category, suggestions include undertaking a review of the town’s zoning bylaws, working toward shortening approval timelines and creating simple, pre-approved building designs.
Under the development incentives category, suggestions include offering development incentives for affordable housing, considering a property tax increase that could fund affordable housing efforts, expanding the rapid accessory dwelling unit program and exploring the option of offering rent supplements.
In the leadership role category, suggestions include creating a concierge program where the town could help connect parties (such as developers and land owners) that are interested in building affordable housing, partnering with other municipalities, and fighting back against NIMBYism (not in my backyard attitudes) through public information campaigns.
Collingwood developer Thom Vincent asked if private donations were given to the town’s affordable housing reserve, or through another such fund earmarked for affordable housing, if a system could be worked out where donors could be given a tax receipt.
“This is an investment in our future. If we don’t have plans and execute them, we’re going to be sitting here in five years, in trouble. We’re in big trouble now,” said Vincent. “I don’t want to see paralysis by analysis.”
Another speaker, who did not provide his name, said he’d like to see if the town could intervene in the private sector, specifically when small homes on large lots go up for sale. He said a small bungalow near his home on a double or triple lot recently went up for sale, and he thought it could have been a good opportunity for someone to demolish the small home and build row houses on the land.
“We have monster homes coming out of our ears,” he said. “If the town owned the property and incentivized a developer to build a row house, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“I think we need to be smarter about how we build new densities on properties in town,” he added.
For-profit developer Ian Jones spoke about his history as a developer for 40 years in Toronto. He said he moved to Collingwood about a year ago, and is shifting his business to move toward a non-profit affordable model.
“I’m really frustrated with the municipal process and what we have to do to get an actual building permit,” said Jones. “For every application, we have to submit 20 reports that are circulated...and peer-reviewed. It’s two to three years to get to a notice of complete application.”
“That’s the root of the problem here,” he said.
Jennifer van Gennip of Redwood Park Communities brought forward the idea of a YIMBY (yes in my backyard) campaign, and said she would be happy to help with such a campaign.
She also asked if it might be possible to differentiate between primary and non-primary residences, and have non-primary residences taxed at a higher municipal rate.
“It would only impact a small percentage of the population who could absolutely afford to pay a little bit more,” said van Gennip.
MacLeod called the higher taxation of non-primary residences a “sticky legal question” as municipalities are bound by provincial rules on taxes.
“We haven’t found a way to do that as of yet, but it’s certainly on our minds,” he said. “It’s something that’s in our report as an advocacy piece that the town can move on immediately.”
When an online participant said they feel most residents want to preserve vacant land and not build on it to maintain Collingwood’s quaint feel, MacLeod said Collingwood will grow whether existing residents want it or not.
“Let’s ensure we have a vision for the town that meets the way we want it to go. Part of that is affordability. If we don’t address that... it becomes a place for the rich to go and play and that doesn’t work for the majority of the community,” he said.
The final affordable housing master plan is expected this fall and will include details such as costs and prioritization. Some recommendations will be considered for inclusion in the 2024 budget cycle for immediate action and town staff will bring a multi-year action plan to council for review in early 2024.
Comments on the draft strategic options report may be submitted via email until Aug. 31 for consideration to [email protected].
To access the report, as well as a video recording of the affordable housing open house, click here.
